Dodd Elementary has received a $50,000 Title I Innovation Reward School Grant.  Dodd, which was designated as a Reward—High Progress School in December, was eligible to compete for additional grant funding this year because of their Title I designation.

 

The grant is being utilized to develop digital classrooms within Dodd. Students will have access to ASUS Transformer Books that will connect to the District’s Reading and Math programs and allow learning to go beyond the classroom. Through these digital classrooms, students will be able to access additional reading and math materials, individualized extended learning time, increase higher-level thinking, and create opportunities for students to collaborate, thus increasing proficiency in these subject areas.

 

“Being able to create digital classrooms is truly a benefit to our students and to our teachers,” states Karen Boardman, Principal of Dodd Elementary. “Our students will be able to develop technological skills that will enable them to continually progress to higher levels. By connecting the ASUS Transformer Books to our existing curriculum, our teachers can continue to access and analyze individual student progress allowing teachers to adjust each student’s individualized academic path.”

 

To attain a Reward—High Progress School designation, Dodd Elementary had to meet the elementary-level applicable requirements including be in the highest 5% of all Title I schools based on aggregate progress in closing the achievement gap in Reading and Mathematics for PSSA and/or Algebra I/Literature for Keystone Exams combined for the All Student group and the Historically Underperforming Student group. According to Kim Walck, Allentown School District’s Director of Grants, each year the Division of Federal Programs honors the top performing Title I schools in Pennsylvania, naming select schools as a 2014-2015 Title I Distinguished School. This year, they selected 95 Title I schools as Distinguished Schools and Dodd was one of them.

 

Title I is a federal designation given to schools with a high percentage of low-income students. There are more than 1,800 Title I schools in Pennsylvania, which encompasses about 61 percent of all schools.